Forbidden by Ted Dekker Read Free Book Online Page B

exposing skin that was unnaturally smooth and too light. A scar, one giant raised welt, lashed toward her neck.
    He remembered the first time he saw that wound, seven years ago. Raw, the skin already bubbling up and coming off where the lantern oil of a wall sconce had spilled on her and caught fire. She had come to him in shock and shaking, nearly collapsing on her feet. But she had not screamed until he called his father to help them.
    The Order did not tolerate physical defects.
    Somehow, Rom had known his father would say nothing. He had arrived in silence and shown Rom how to help her dress the burns in wet bandages, helping to hide them from the eyes of her parents and from Anna.
    “Is helping Avra wrong?” Rom had asked.
    He had never forgotten what his father had said.
    “The Order honors life out of fear of death. We are commanded to love life, but what we call love, Rom, is the shadow of something lost. It is loyalty born out of fear. Fear and love, sometimes the two conflict. Helping Avra is its own kind of love. But now, you must keep what I’m telling you to yourself.”
    He had thought about his father’s words many times after that—including the day his mother took him to the wellness center.
    He never returned.
    Today, Avra ran the family laundry and lived alone, her parents having moved to Greater Europa. She had not stepped foot in a basilica until this moment, fearful of discovery, as though a priest might surmise her terrible secret by the look in her eyes alone.
    Her fear extended beyond the basilica to society at large. Though she appeared whole to everyone who saw her, she bore the knowledge that she was unacceptable, alive in this life only as long as she could keep her secret…and even then, living only toward an inevitable end. Order rejected her. And Order was the Maker’s hand. There would be no Bliss for her.
    It had robbed her of her own betrothal. Marriage, for her, would be impossible. Her own husband would be bound by the Honor Code to report her the moment he saw her defect. And so she had rejected her own betrothal without explanation to her parents.
    He hurried to stop her. “Avra! If you run now they’ll find you for sure. Both of us!”
    She halted, shaking. He went to her, pulled the edge of her cloak up over her scarred skin, gently covering it. She tugged the fabric close around her neck with pale fingers. By the time he drew her back toward the chair, she had gotten hold of herself.
    He had to think. They were losing precious time.
    Rom crossed to the box and opened it. There had to be more. What had the vellum said? Blood destroys or grants the power to live . It had certainly destroyed. He had witnessed that firsthand, hadn’t he? But what did it mean, to live ?
    A rustle sounded from behind him. “That’s it?”
    “That’s it.” He lifted out the vial, unwrapped it carefully, and set the ancient glass container down on top of the table. He smoothed the vellum open next to it. “See?”
    She came to stand beside him. “What does it say?”
    Rom read the verse aloud, straining to see in the dim light.
    “ The Order of Keepers has sworn to guard
    These contents for the Day of Rebirth
    Beware, any who drink—
    Blood destroys or grants the power to live”
    She pressed against his shoulder. “ Day of Rebirth . What Rebirth? The inauguration?”
    “I don’t know. It doesn’t sound like it.”
    “ Beware, any who drink —drink what?”
    “ Blood destroys or grants the power to live . Just looking at this. I’m guessing it means the blood.”
    “That can’t be. You don’t drink blood.”
    “But that’s what it says. Beware, any who drink .”
    “Yes. Beware . As in don’t. It must be poisonous.”
    “They wouldn’t have killed the old man for owning poison. People buy it all the time to kill rodents.”
    She poked her finger at the words. “ Blood destroys . It’s poisonous or diseased.”
    “Then what does it mean, or grants the power to live